Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Auburn jumps Gonzaga, claims No. 1 ranking for 1st time in program history; 5 Big East teams ranked
For the first time in the 116-year history of Auburn men’s basketball, the program has achieved its first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday.
The Tigers have won 15 straight, with their last loss coming two months ago — Nov. 24 — to UConn in the Bahamas.
“The No. 1 ranking matters because it’s historical,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “I’m very happy for Auburn, I’m very happy for my coaches and our players to have been able to achieve that. That said, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 SEC) received 45 first-place votes and 1,504 points from the 60-member voting panel comprised of media members across the country. Gonzaga was No. 2 with 15 first-place votes and 1,475 points, followed by Arizona, Baylor and Kansas.
Auburn is the fifth No. 1 already this season, following Gonzaga (twice), Duke, Purdue and Baylor.
Last week, Auburn beat Georgia and No. 12 Kentucky at home – where it remains an undefeated 10-0 this season in front of capacity crowds and The Jungle at Auburn Arena.
Auburn becomes only the eighth SEC school to achieve a No. 1 national ranking all-time. The Tigers are off to their fourth-best start in program history and only the second 7-0 SEC start next to the 1958-59 season. They are also the winningest SEC men’s basketball program (112 victories) over the last five years.
FIVE BIG EAST TEAMS RANKED
For the first time this season, five teams represent the Big East in the AP Top-25 Poll, as Marquette flies into the rankings.
The conference is tied for first with the Big Ten with the most teams ranked in the AP Poll this week.
There are five Big East teams in the AP Top 25 for the first time since February 2020.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
